MARKS

You should find three large cylinder shaped marks (two orange and one yellow)  with the APS logo in the cabin of the Bayliner.  The ground tackle is "permanently" attached to the marks.

These should be handed off to the 19 skiff after pulling around to the crane area.

Two or three smaller hippity hop marks are in the 16 skiff and may be left ashore unless there are plans to use an offset mark near the windward mark.

You should also an electric inflator in the seat to the 19 skiff.  The inflator uses a cigarette lighter connection and there is one of those the 19 Skiff on the starboard side of the console forward of the rail.  Note that the power to the cigarette lighter plug is switched -- the aerator switch, I believe.

On most days, you will only need the 3 large cylinder marks.  Use these for windward, reach (optional), and leeward marks.

On a day with many boats (a regatta), you might use two marks as a leeward gate.  These should be about 120 feet apart to provide 2 non-overlapping circles 3 Lightning boat lengths in radius around each. 

The start and finish pins are on the 16 skiff -- or should be.  The start pin has a red flag on top.  The finish pin has a blue flag on top.

Use the 19 Skiff to take the marks up river and to drop them in approximately the right position.  The 19 skiff and 16 skiff can later adjust their positions according to the wishes of the PRO.

The best way to position the pins is to drag them by their ground tackle behind the boat as you go slowly upwind.  When the PRO feels the pin is in the correct position, he signals with a hand gesture and the ground tackle is dropped into the water. 

Might be useful to have an M-flag in a whaler, just in case a mark drags.   If a mark starts to go into the channel, I think it is both safer and fairer and better for our relations with the police if the whaler grabs it and pulls it back to where it was before. It might have to set and hold the mark until the boats pass.